Poultry: why won't my hens use their perches?

Problem: two
new hens who are happy to lay in the nest boxes in the hen house, but
at night choose to perch in trees outside, even in cold, rainy weather.NZ Lifestyle Block magazine poultry expert Sue Clarke replies: The
new girls have obviously adapted well to sleeping in trees and will be
acclimatised to the chilly weather so it will be hard to break them of
the habit without drastic action.

First,
ensure there is plenty of perching space away from the established
flock, high up in the chook house. Even use a natural branch instead of
flat wooden perches.

Make
a habit of giving them a late afternoon scratch feed of grain in or
near their house, then shut them inside for the night. A couple of weeks
of doing this should see them get used to the idea. You can either open
the door again once it is dark, so they can get out in the early
morning, or just open it when you give them breakfast.

Alternatively,
if there is enough room in your coop for them all to stay inside for a
few days, shut them in altogether, especially if the weather is wet or
cold. Make sure there is plenty of dry litter, like shavings or similar
on the floor, for them to scratch around in, at least 10cm deep. Hang up
an old cabbage/broccoli or silverbeet stalks, for them to peck at and
scatter their pellets on the floor so they have to work to find it.

Then
revert to letting them out during the day but ensure they are inside by
about 4pm, before they think about going back to their old roosts in
the trees.

If
you can't make them change their minds, they should survive in the tree
tops and at least they are safely out of the way of cats, dogs and
rats!